


Recover

by sayijo



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, i make cry suffer too much wuh oh, theres too much dialogue here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 11:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20191693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayijo/pseuds/sayijo
Summary: I mean, getting a quarter of your face removed is pretty bad.





	Recover

“Where’s Cry?” Jay whined a bit as he worked on Zane’s motorcycle. He reached behind him as he grabbed a pair of pliers, before getting right back to work. The sound of a wrench against metal sounded against the room.

“He told me that he wanted repairs on his bike? But he still hasn’t come back yet.” Jay continued to complain, rolling his eyes as he turned on the engine to Zane’s bike. The motor made some questionable sputtering noises before it let out a plume of black smoke and smog. Jay coughed, fanning his hand in front of his face.

“The damn thing probably broke on his way here.” Kai laughed, seated on a table, swinging his legs around. He watched as Jay jammed a screwdriver into the engine of Zane’s bike, causing the motorcycle of groan and creak.

“Uhhh, I hope not.” Jay replied, shaking his head. He worked with the screwdriver for a few seconds in silence before tossing it over his shoulder and grabbing the pliers once more. He cast a look over at Kai.

“Pass me the torque wrench, would you?”

Kai leaned over and fumbled around in the toolbox that was on the table he sat on, before pulling out the said tool and haphazardly tossing it over to where Jay was situated. The blue ninja fumbled for it, before it clattered to the ground, the two of them wincing from the noise. 

“Reeeeal great throw.” Jay grumbled as he picked it up.

“Don’t complain dude. One time you busted your lip from your own nunchucks.”

“I wanted to test the strength of my hands. Okay?” Jay turned around before he got to work.

“Rrrrright.” Kai rolled his eyes. He grabbed a hammer that Jay kept in his toolbox, before gently swinging it around, catching it with his other hand as he swung down. He made a gesture of swinging, much like how a batter would swing. 

This was boring.

“I need the screwdriver.”

“You got it right in front of you.” Kai pointed out.

“The blue one.”

“You have seven.”

“The one that has paint all over the handle.”

Kai leaned over again, and began to blindly rummage through the box. Once he couldn’t find anything, he grabbed the edge of the box and slid it across the table towards him. He tried to lift it up with one hand as he brought it over.

His hand slipped.

The box clattered to the ground, all its contents spilling over the floor. The sound was deafening, causing Jay to flinch and Kai to grimace. A few sounds of screws rolling around on the ground was all that remained afterwards.

“Are you serious?” Jay groaned.

“Hey, listen, accidents happen, okay?”

“Like you?”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Walker.” Kai growled. He looked down at the mess on the ground, before shrugging and leaning back slightly.

“Aren’t you gonna fix it?” Jay asked.

“No.”

“But—”

“It’s your toolbox. You fix it.” Kai interrupted him, before he jumped off the table and onto the ground, trying to avoid the debris pile on the ground. No luck. He landed on the mess and there was a very audible crunch noise.

“Besides, Cry is gonna back me.” Kai boasted as he stepped off the pile of tools, kicking some stray pieces of metal away.

“I thought last him he vowed never to back you again.” Jay commented.

“Well, this time it’ll be different.”

‘Because..?” Jay raised an eyebrow as he fiddled around in the engine, his back facing Kai.

“Because…” Kai paused before he frowned. “There doesn’t need to be a reason, okay? I just know it.”

“He’s gonna ask for payment.”

“So? I can cough up some.” Kai laughed, shaking his head.

“Maybe you can avoid payment by actually helping me clean up?” Jay rolled his eyes, groaning internally. He tightened a few screws in the bike, before he scrambled to his feet and closed the hood of the engine.

“No.”

“Kai, I swear to—”

“Oh shit! There he is.” Kai pointed out the open door of the garage, and Jay’s head snapped over to where he was pointing. Sure enough, on the horizon, there was the distinct outline of a motorcycle headed their way, a trail of debris and gravel behind him.

“He’s not gonna back you.” Jay spat as he got to work wiping his grimy hands off on his pants. He grabbed a hold of the handles of Zane’s bike and began to wheel it off to the side. 

“Yeah he is.” Kai countered.

“No he isn’t. I’m betting 50 bucks.”

“Deal.” Kai laughed, crossing his arms.

A pause. The sound of the roaring of engines came within earshot. 

“...what’s wrong with the bike away?”

“Nothing. I just need to make it better.” Jay replied.

“Right.” Kai groaned internally. Of course. How surprising. Jay just kept adding upgrades until it really wasn’t needed anymore, or until the machine broke down from all the stress. Good thing he hadn’t suggested adding upgrades to the nindroid himself.

“...isn’t he...going a bit too fast?” Jay spoke nervously.

Kai really wasn’t paying attention, so he turned his attention back out the garage door. Cryptor was blasting down the road (or lack thereof), the roar of the engine nearly deafening at this point. 

“Uhm. Yeah.” Kai noted. Cryptor’s was definitely going at around 200 kilometres an hour, approaching the Bounty with alarming speed.

“Shit. Get out of the way!” Jay snapped. Kai didn’t need to be told twice. He backed out of the way, just as Cryptor hit the breaks, hard. The nindroid turned his bike sideways as he slid into the garage, his tires squealing against the ground, leaving two distinct black marks. He came to a halt in the middle of the garage, sending up dust.

“Fucking hell.” Kai groaned as he fanned his hand around his mouth and nose, a bit annoyed and irritated. “We still have to breathe, you know?”

But Cryptor didn’t answer. 

The nindroid shakily dismounted, looking like his legs were struggling to hold up his weight. He landed on the ground and nearly crumpled to the floor. Kai could see black liquid draining out from the bottom of his helmet, dribbling against his jacket and red scarf.

Cryptor shakily walked over to where Kai was. He kept stumbling, his legs tripping over one another.

Kai looked up.

The two white eyes that poked out through the red visor of his helmet— one of them was gone, missing.. The helmet itself was scratched up, dents on the material. The fabric of his jacket was torn slightly on the shoulders.

“...what the fuck happened?!” Kai demanded.

_“...help me.”_ Was the last thing the nindroid managed to choke out before he collapsed to the ground.

oOoOoOo

It took both Kai and Jay to haul the nindroid up the stairs from the garage to the rest of the Bounty. Kai had reached for Cryptor’s helmet, but Jay advised that they should get him stable before they take a look at the damage. 

“Help!!” Kai basically shrieked as they were on their way to the infirmary. That seemed to get everyone’s attention, as a few pairs of extra hands helped to carry Cryptor there. They stumbled into the room, and haphazardly lowered the nindroid onto a bed. 

“Rundown what happened?” Cole demanded. 

“He appears to have an injury on his face.” Zane noted. 

“Yeah, no shit Frosty.” Kai mumbled, his hands reached for the two sides of Cryptor’s helmet, and began to pry it off. 

“Wait, Kai, not so fast—”

Cryptor let out a low groan, muffled by the helmet. The white eye on the visor appeared weakly, flickering in and out of existence. He jerked his head away from Kai’s touch, the movement causing him to inhale sharply.

Everyone instantly started talking at once. 

“What happened?”

“How bad is your injury?”

“Can you see? How many fingers am I holding up?”

“EVERYONE!” Lloyd and Kai snapped in unison, noticing at how the nindroid tensed up and hissed at the sudden bombardment of noise and talking. Everyone instantly shut up, and Cryptor’s stance relaxed ever so slightly, his shoulders falling. 

A pause. 

“Let’s keep quiet. I think he’d like that.” Lloyd noted as he looked over at Kai, and then nodded in agreement for the fire ninja to continue. Kai turned his attention to the helmet over Cryptor’s head again. 

“Stay still for me, okay?” Kai spoke quietly. Cryptor nodded stiffly, the white eye disappearing from the visor as if he had shut his eyes. 

The fire ninja gripped the two sides of the helmet again. He began to gently pull it off, and everyone held their breath. 

The helmet finally slipped off. 

And boy, was the wound _ugly_. 

A gaping gash was were his cybernetic eye once lay. Mangled metal and twisted wires came through poking the skin. He had an eye on his right side, but wires came spilling out through the socket and would fritz occasionally. 

“Aw fuck.” Kai hissed from underneath his breath. 

There was hair on the nindroid’s right side of his head, but it was so matted with oil that it looked like parts of his skin that had decided to fry. Black oil leaked from the destroyed part of his face, now soaking into the sheets of the white bed he lay on. The nindroid has a nosebleed, as well as the black liquid beginning to force its way out of his mouth. 

“...Cole. Bandages, immediately.” Zane demanded, and that seemed to snap everyone out from their trance-like state. The earth ninja ran off, and came back, carrying the first-aid kit. 

“Lloyd. Cole. Jay. Nya. Please leave. I want Kai and me to be the only ones in here.”

“But—”

“Please do as I say.”

With a bit of hesitation, all the mentioned shuffled out from the room, leaving Cryptor, Kai, and Zane as the only ones left. Kai looked down at the nindroid who lay sprawled out on the bed, lapsing in and out of consciousness. He was off to Cryptor’s left side, with Zane to the right. 

“Why am I still here?” Kai asked. 

“Because I’m sure you’d make a ruckus if I asked you to leave.” Zane replied. He popped open the first-aid kit, rummaging around, before pulling out a roll of gauze. He then looked over at the fire ninja. 

“Help him sit up.”

“But don’t you need some tools or something?” 

“I have already scanned him. Nothing vital was destroyed. We just need to control the bleeding. Help him sit up, Kai.”

Kai obliged, and he supported Cryptor’s back. The nindroid stirred, his left eye lazily opening up and glancing over at Zane, before they settled on Kai. The fire ninja gave him a tight smile, but he felt like slapping Cry across the face for his stupidity. 

“How the fuck did this happen?” Kai asked. 

“...mm...motorcycle accident?” Cryptor grinned cheekily, despite the situation. His eyes drooped before he decided to keep them closed. Kai let the nindroid lean against his chest, listening as he breathed softly.

“A motorcycle accident took off half your face?” Kai raised an eyebrow, as Zane got to work wrapping the right side of Cryptor’s in white gauze. The nindroid winced slightly as the ice ninja started, and nodded. 

“Y-yeah.”

“So why didn’t your helmet take the same damage?” Zane questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“I...uh...wasn’t wearing it at the time?” Cryptor laughed, the left side of his face twitching a bit. The eyelid on his left eye fluttered for a few moments. Zane and Kai cast a look at one another. There was something else going on here, and they were going to get to the bottom of it. 

“Anyway, how bad does it hurt? On a scale of one to ten.”

“Sev—!” Cryptor jerked as Zane was a bit rougher with his hands. He cried out, his hands aiming to shove the ice ninja away as he thrashed. Kai moved forward to grip Cryptor’s forearms as he fought. 

“Shit dude. Stop moving!”

Cryptor shrieked. 

“Let go! Let go let go let go let go!”

Kai’s face paled as he could feel liquid against his hands, and he looked down. Black oil was dripping in between his fingers, soaking them. He let go immediately, and Cryptor let out a sharp gasp of pain. He supported Cryptor as to make sure the nindroid wouldn’t topple off the bed.

“What happened?” Zane demanded as Cryptor gasped for breath. 

Kai looked down at Cryptor’s arms, which were now shaking. 

“Roll up your sleeves.” Kai demanded. The worry was clogging at his throat. He had an extremely bad feeling about how this was playing out. He was unaware of it, but he had gone sheet white once again.

No response.

“...he has passed out.” Zane noted as he looked down at Cryptor. It was true. The nindroid was limp, his breathing shallow. Zane grabbed a pair of scissors from the first aid kit and cut the roll of gauze. 

“Lower him down once again.” Zane instructed. Kai did as what was asked of him. The fire ninja then gripped hold of Cryptor’s right arm, and began to carefully roll the sleeve away. Zane watched intently, as he got to work putting everything away.

There were gashes over the nindroid’s arm, still bleeding. The oil stuck to the jacket, basically coating his arm. Through his unconscious state, Cryptor grimaced, his teeth baring slightly. Both of his hands clenched themselves into fists, the sound of the strain against the leather finger gloves he wore was the only noise in the room now.

“What the fuck?” Kai hissed from underneath his breath.

“Take off his glove.” Zane demanded, handing Kai a pair of medical scissors. Kai took them and began to snip through the leather. He was praying, hoping that he wouldn’t see more, but he knew that it wouldn’t be the case. 

There were gashes on his palm. Zane took his left arm and did the same. Knife wounds lined both of Cryptor’s arms and hands, the oil beginning to stain the bed.

Zane cursed from underneath his breath.

“Kai, call Jay and Nya.”

Kai nodded, and whirled right around and bolted out the door.

oOoOoOo

Cryptor woke up some hours later. The light that assaulted his vision was awful. Every time he moved, the world would spin violently, making him unable to tell which way was up. The image his eyes displayed began to saturate, leaving bright splotches on his vision.

He could feel that his head was propped up by multiple pillows, a thin blanket draped over his person. It felt like that his leather jacket had been taken off, leaving him with the dark grey muscle shirt he wore underneath it all. The fact that his jeans were still on made him uncomfortable.

“Took you long enough to wake up.” Cryptor’s head shifted to somewhere to his left. A red blur came through his vision, and he squinted as he attempted to focus his sight. He winced again, feeling like someone had shoved a knife through his face. 

“H...how long was I..?”

“Uhh, a day?” That same voice sighed, and there was the sound of fabric shuffling. “How are you feeling?”

“Everything’s s...spinning.” Cryptor groaned, his mouth dry. His mind was a mess and he had the worse headache imaginable. He raised a hand to feel at the right side of his face, recoiling his arms when it stung. He hissed quietly, but his vision was starting to clear.

“Yeah, Zane said that would happen.” The voice answered, before they yawned. 

“Got an...anything that c...ould fix it?” 

“Eh. Frosty said it should lessen up in a few more days.” The voice retorted, but just the mere rise in the volume enough made it feel like there was a sharp sting behind his eyes. He growled at the feeling, sinking himself further into the pillows as he shifted backwards.

“Are you alright?” The voice spoke up.

“...hurts…please stop talking.” Cryptor grumbled, raising one of his arms to gently cover his eyes. He stifled a yawn, feeling as to how his cramped jaw relaxed with a small hiss. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the wild spinning around him. It felt like he was being shaken around, the world tossing and turning.

“Anything you need?”

“...water would be nice.” Cryptor spoke quietly. 

“Iced?” The voice suggested. 

“Mmmmm.” Cryptor agreed. He nodded slightly, groaning internally at how the movement seemed to flip everything upside down. His insides felt like they were doing flips, and he just wanted to shut off. He could hear a chair scrape against the ground as it was pushed back, the sound enough to cause him to hiss in pain.

“Oh, shit. Sorry.” The voice whispered. There was the sound of someone tiptoeing through the room.

“W-wait.” Cryptor called out once again.

“Yeah?” 

“...can you close the blinds?” The nindroid croaked out, his voice hoarse.

“Okay.” 

Some walking noises later, and the brightness of the room dimmed significantly. Cryptor sighed, removing his arm from his face, feeling as his eyes met fresh air once again. He could hear as someone made their way towards the door, and there was a small draft of air as the door clicked shut.

And then it was quiet.

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, trying to block out the pain at ate away at his face. He raised his left hand to gently run his fingers through his hair, pulling at his scalp. He could feel the gaping gash that lay underneath the bandages, feeling how empty the right side of his face felt. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

His rubbed at his arms.

They had welded the gashes shut.

He wondered how long it would be before people asked about it.

He dropped his arms down to his sides, before letting in a large gulp of air, trying to get the spinning to stop. He opened his eyes again, but his vision refused to clear up completely. He groaned, and shook his head, as if trying to shake all the pain out.

It only seemed to make it worse.

He collapsed back onto the pillows. 

“Great.” 

oOoOoOo

Kai was busy pouring water into a cup before Cole walked in and stopped him. The earth ninja took one look down at the water-filled glass before he frowned, and looked up at the fire ninja once again. Kai raised an eyebrow.

“You fill the water in before the ice?” Cole asked.

“...and you don’t?” Kai countered, before he pressed the glass against the ice dispenser that came with the fridge. The ice splattered some of the water onto the ground, and Cole only looked down at the tile floor in disappointment. 

A pause.

“So, about his arms.” Cole spoke up, and Kai grimaced.

“Managed to get any info about that?” Cole muttered. He fumbled around in some cupboards and pulled out a cup of instant noodles. He got to work ripping open the seal with his teeth as Kai grabbed a rag and went to clean up the mess on the floor.

“Not yet.”

“Better get to the bottom of it soon. Zane said they looked like defensive wounds. Couldn’t have been a fall from his bike though.” Cole murmured. He grabbed a water bottle from off the countertop and got busy filling the cup of noodles with water, before cursing, realizing that he left the soup base packets still inside, and was now busy fishing them out with his hands. 

“I know.”

“Then pry some info out of him already. I don’t want to assume that...you know, someone did this to him.” Cole looked over his shoulder as he popped the cup of noodles into the microwave and started it up.

“I know, Cole. Jesus.” Kai rolled his eyes, before he made his way down the hall to the infirmary once again, the cold of the glass already making his palm ache. How the hell was he even supposed to bring this up with the nindroid? ‘Oh hey, did people rip off half your face?’ 

No doubt the nindroid would look at him like he had gone mad.

He quietly pushed open the door to the infirmary, opening just a small crack, listening to how the door creaked open against its hinges. The sunlight came streaming in through the thin blinds that covered the window, bathing the room in soft, dark orange glow. He quietly pushed the door open, fully, and stepped in.

“I got your wat—”

Cryptor was fast asleep. His head was slightly turned to the right, resting his injured side against the pillows. He breathed out through his mouth in small puffs of air, his chest rising and falling slowly. 

Kai slowly backed out of the room and shut the door.

Another time.

oOoOoOo

“So, we’re just gonna assume that he got half his face ripped off?” Jay snapped. They sat lounging around in common area, unsure on what to do. Jay, Nya, and Zane had already gotten to work making a replacement eye.

“...it is appearing as the most likely option.” Zane spoke up.

“Then why hasn’t he said anything?” Lloyd pointed out.

“...maybe’s too tired?” Cole suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. Everyone glanced over at him with a disapproving look carved onto their features. Cole backed up a bit, hands held up in mock surrender. “Hey, I was just thinking, okay?”

“Nah. He’d rat people out instantly. Probably ask that we give em a slow, painful death.” Kai chuckled softly. He glanced over at everyone, and set his eyes out on the window, watching as the sun set behind the mountains, the sky now dyed a pinkish orange colour.

“Then why hasn’t he said anything?” Lloyd repeated his point.

“I don’t _know_, green bean. Maybe if you want to know, then ask him.” Jay suggested, rolling his wrist around. Nya was seated beside him, immersed in working the blueprints for the replacement eye for Cryptor. She had a bunch of pencils and rulers scattered on the table at where she sat. Occasionally, Zane and Jay would point something out, and she’d add it to the design.

“He’s not gonna talk to me. He barely talks to anyone about problems.” Lloyd crossed his legs on the chair he sat on. He drummed his fingers against the table, looking slightly agitated. He cast looks over at everyone, before staring down at his hands once again.

A pause.

“Anyway, if people were behind this, then, well, time to do some finding.” Kai growled. 

“We’re not killing people, Kai.” Nya mumbled, not even raising her head to look at him.

“Why not? I think it’s a pretty valid response. Cry got his eye removed? How about we do the same to whoever did it to him?” Kai cracked his knuckles and now had a devilish smirk tugging at his lips. Everyone just sighed, shaking their heads.

“We’re not doing that.”

“Yes, we are. I’ve already decided.”

‘No.”

“Yes. I’m gonna go wake him up to ask him.” Kai got up from his seat, and before anyone could protest against his actions, he booked it down the hall, his feet causing the floorboards to creak from underneath his weight. He slowed down to a trot as he neared the door, and reached his hand towards the doorknob.

He swung it wide open, and it almost hit someone.

Cryptor stumbled back, a bit startled at the movement. He immediately hunched over and clutched at the wall as his face bunched up into a grimace, and let out a low hiss of discomfort, using the wall for support. Kai could hear machinery violently whirring from somewhere in the nindroid’s chest, as if responding to the pain.

Kai himself was also a bit startled. Startled to see the nindroid out of bed when just a day earlier, he was looking at a portion of Cryptor’s face missing. The back oil was slightly visible through the stark white bandages.

Cryptor himself looked awful, like he hadn’t slept in days. 

“Shit dude! What are you doing out of bed?” Kai demanded. He grabbed a hold of Cryptor’s shoulders and was about to steer him back into the room, but the nindroid bit his lip and shook his head.

“N-no. I...need to talk…”

Kai froze up, before he recovered and continued to drag Cryptor back into the room, the nindroid too weak to fight back. 

“Kai…” Cryptor grumbled. He swatted at the fire ninja’s hand, trying to break out from his grip. Kai scoffed a bit and picked up his pace.

“You can talk when you lie down, asshole.” Kai growled. He managed to get Cryptor to lay back down on the bed in the infirmary, resting his head against the pillows that were propped up against the headboard. Cryptor let out a very audible sigh of relief, maybe because the world had finally stopped spinning. 

“So, you, wanted to say something?” Kai plopped down on a seat beside the bed once he went over to close the door.

“...”

“You did say that, right?” Kai asked.

“...I..did?” 

Now Kai was confused. What the hell was happening? He watched as Cryptor lazily turned his head over to face him. His eyes opened, but there was nothing there. Just empty black voids, no red irises in sight.

“...did you lose your vision again?!” Kai nearly jumped to his feet as he raised his voice. Cryptor winced, and shook his head.

“No. Fucking hell. Shut up a..and stop being so loud.” Cryptor groaned, already looking like he was ready to ask Kai to leave. Kai sat back down, now on edge. He watched as Cryptor closed his eyes, turning his head so that he looked up at the ceiling. 

“So? Say something, asshat.” Kai growled.

“Gimme a minute. Memory is scrambled…” Cryptor grimaced as he concentrated. Kai leaned back, and let his mind wander and he gazed around the room, twiddling his thumbs around.

A pause.

“So?” Kai questioned.

Another pause.

“Sorry, c...can’t recall.”

“That’s some fucking bullshit.” Kai growled immediately. Cryptor was backpedalling for sure, and it was best if the fire ninja pried some information out now before the nindroid just decided to refuse to speak any further. 

“..Kai—”

“So, mind telling me what really happened?” Kai raised an eyebrow, leaning a bit closer to the nindroid. 

“Can’t remember. Losing my face must’ve done something.” Cryptor sighed, giving Kai a sad and tired smile. He blinked slowly, before he yawned. 

“Zane told me that nothing vital was damaged.”

“...shit.” Cryptor cursed from underneath his breath, barely audible enough for Kai to hear. The nindroid’s eyes widened slightly as he realized Kai had heard him, and he cast a look over at the fire ninja, who gave him a smug smile.

“So, what are you keeping from me this time?” 

“I’m not—”

“Oh, cut the crap.” Kai laughed, but he could tell that Cryptor had gone as rigid as a board. ‘Oh shit, was it serious?’ 

Another pause.

“Okay, fine.” Kai decided to back off for now, and he leaned his back against the backrest of the armchair he sat in. “Answer me this then. Did someone do this to you?”

Silence.

Then, a slow, hesitant nod.

“Yes.” 

Kai’s heart sank. He already knew the answer was yes, but for some reason, receiving confirmation just made it hurt more. He leaned forward a bit more, causing the nindroid to shift awkwardly, looking like he wanted nothing more than to jump out the window.

“So, can you tell me who?” 

Cryptor bit his lip again. He cast a glance over at Kai, and seemed to hesitate for a few seconds. 

Finally, he let out a sigh. 

“Some leftover Sons of Garmadon members did.”

Kai’s face went pale. All the sound around him seemed to melt away, and he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He wanted to scream, he wanted to punch something. Or someone. He wanted to light something on fire. A human being causes this pain upon his friend, and they were out there, on their merry way?

“Who?” Kai demanded. His voice was deathly low this time, and Cryptor looked over at him, a bit startled. He was unaware of it, but his hands began to smoulder. 

“...I don’t know.” Cryptor spoke quietly. 

“How do you not know?” Kai growled. He had risen from his seat, now looking he was ready to kill a man. 

“...I was jumped.”

_‘So there was more than one asshole behind this.’_ Kai was ready to track and hunt them down individually. He growled, turning his attention to Cryptor once again, before he plopped down onto the seat once again. He let out a sigh, trying to calm his angry nerves.

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Kai demanded. Cryptor winced, as if he dreaded being presented with this question. He looked away, an uncomfortable look passing over his features. 

“I…” The nindroid trailed off. He kept his attention away from the fire ninja, fidgeting with his hands. He grits his teeth, looking like he was ready to start yelling, but was restraining from doing so. 

“Are you alright?” Kai asked, a bit worried and confused. He softened his tone, and leaned forward a bit more. The nindroid sighed quietly, before he closed his eyes, wanting to drown in the silence around him.

“...I...didn’t want to tell you because, I just…” Cryptor struggled with his words, before he crossed his arms and huffed.

“It’s not their fault they hate me.” The nindroid finally spat out. Kai blinked a bit, startled at the words that came from Cryptor’s mouth. He leaned forward more, basically looming over Cryptor as a look of concern passed over the fire ninja’s features. 

_I’ve made a mistake in saying something like that. They’ll never trust me now. Hiding something like this from them? How could I? What the fuck was I thinking?!_

“I don’t know. It’s weird. They’re still...I didn’t want to tell you because...I still kind of view them as...friends— no, not friends, acquaintances. I just...don't think they deserve—”

“They don’t deserve it?!” Kai immediately shot to his feet, anger igniting through every molecule in his body. Cryptor startled, his entire body flinching before he winced in pain. He cast a look over at Kai, before he looked down at the ground. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kai cut him off immediately. 

“Listen up, asshole. Don’t you ever! Say anything like that ever again! These fuckers caused you this pain! If they were your friends, your _comrades_, then they wouldn’t have done this to you!” 

“But—”

“No ‘but’s! Oh, I’m so fucking pissed!” Kai began to pace around the room. Smoke poured out through his nose and came off his fingertips, and his palms began to glow a soft orange from the heat. Cryptor followed with his eye, watching as the fire ninja walked throughout the room. He yawned softly, his vision slightly going blurry at the movement. 

Kai grumbled as he paced around the room, his hands flailing around as he tried to express his anger. He kept sputtering out noises, but unable to form any words. Occasionally, he’d cough out a cloud of smoke, the grey smog coming out from his nostrils. 

_I’m the biggest problem here, Kai. Maybe you’ll decide to deal with me first, not the attackers. I’m just casting more and more suspicion upon myself the more I hide away. What’s to say they won’t believe that I’ll rejoin the Sons of Garmadon once again?_

_What’s to say that they won’t kill me in my sleep?_

_What’s to say—_

Cryptor shook his head.

“Kai...can you leave?” He managed to croak out. 

“Huh?” Kai stopped walking before he turned to look at the nindroid who lay on the bed, his head basically drowning in pillows. He tiredly looked over at the ninja in red, before he looked away and yawned slowly, revealing his teeth and his metal plated tongue.

“Your voice...too loud.” Cryptor looked uncomfortable. His face twitched slightly and he looked like he was ready to flee. He bit at his lip, his nails scratching into his arms, fingers tracing over the faint scars. 

“...you sure?” Kai asked.

“Yes.” Cryptor nodded. It looked like he was ready to pass out at a moments notice. 

“Okay.” Kai nodded, before giving the nindroid a weak smile. 

_It’s a forced smile. Clearly. Can’t you see it in his eyes? _

Kai slowly approached the door, but stopped once his hand hovered over the doorknob. He turned back to look at the nindroid once again.

“Listen, Cry?” 

“...yeah?”

“Tell me if something’s bothering you, okay?” Kai spoke.

“...of course.” 

oOoOoOo

Kai woke up to screaming. 

It was muffled, definitely coming through the wall. The fear in the tone was enough to jolt him awake, adrenaline pumping into his system, his heartbeat beginning to quicken up. He was out of bed in an instant, booking it down the room towards the door. 

He could hear the other ninja stir from around him, but he himself was out the door in five seconds. The next thing he knew, he was booking it down the hall towards the infirmary, thundering down the hallway. He basically bodychecked the door open, being bathed in the moonlight that came in through the blinds.

He ran towards where Cryptor lay. He willed a flame to life in his palm, illuminating the room slightly. He gripped Cryptor’s shoulder; the nindroid was buried underneath a blanket and was shaking softly. 

“Dude, what the fuck is happening?” Kai demanded. 

Almost immediately when Kai’s hand made contact with Cryptor’s shoulder, the nindroid started shrieking. His hands flew forward to punch at Kai, his legs kicking, flailing around. His eyes were shut and he was screaming. Kai staggered backwards and almost fell hard on his ass. He recovered quickly.

“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!” Cryptor managed to choke out. 

_He was pinned to the ground, someone’s knee jamming into his spine. Hands pressed his wrists and ankles. Someone held a hunting knife in his hand and raised it above their head._

“Dude! It’s me! Kai!” The fire ninja raised his voice slightly. He shook the nindroid slightly, but it only served to make Cryptor scream and cry more. He thrashed around, his claws extending and attempting to slash at Kai’s face. Kai backed off a bit, not ready to have his eye gouged out by Cryptor’s fingers. 

_Hands were clawing at the right side of his face, sneers plastered onto their faces. He flailed, hands reaching outwards in an attempt to push them away. He could feel as a knife slid underneath the cybernetic eye, in between his face and the metal, and with one swift motion, the wires that connected the eye to his face were severed._

_He screamed violently, a sharp pain blossoming on the right side of his head._

_“Where are your friends now?” _

“Hey! Wake up!” Kai demanded. He grabbed a firm hold of Cryptor’s shoulder and shook the nindroid violently like a rag doll, trying to jolt the ex-general out of his dreamscape. However, it only seemed to make the situation worse. The fire ninja could hear the nindroid let in a sharp inhale through his gritted teeth.

_A knife slid itself into the fritzing eye socket on his right side, and he could hear the cracking of metal as it was twisted. He brought up both hands to shield his face, but someone grabbed a hold of his wrist and twisted it. He could feel cool metal slice through his arm._

“NO! STOP! DON’T!!” Cryptor managed to choke out. He shook his head, his hands moving up to protect his face. His hands clenched themselves into fists, and he managed to nail Kai in the abdomen with one of his feet. The fire extinguished immediately, and Kai stumbled backwards, almost tripping and falling over. 

The nindroid’s breathing was erratic, his entire body shaking. Kai approached again, before he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the nindroid tightly.

_A hand grabbed hold of his neck, and he could feel someone press the tip of the blade into the side of it, pain reaching his sensors. His was choking for air now, feeling as the blood from his face drained down the side of his head._

“No!” Cryptor shrieked before his eyes snapped open. A bright red iris snapped around erratically, trying to focus his sight on anything around him. He gasped, and started to yell again.

“It’s okay!” Kai raised his voice slightly, squeezing the nindroid tightly. “It’s me, Kai. It’s me. It’s alright. It’s me. It’s okay. Shhhhh, it’s okay. Breathe.”

Cryptor gasped; a horrible, sharp noise. He thrashed around weakly for a few more seconds, before his shoulders dropped and his breathing began to slow. Kai could feel how the nindroid shook in his arms, his breathing ragged and shallow. Kai reached his hand to gently run his hand down Cryptor’s back, being mindful of the bandages wrapped over Cryptor’s face.

“It’s okay.” Kai whispered quietly. He could hear as the nindroid whimpered softly in his hold, his chest and shoulders shaking as he cried softly. Kai could feel as Cryptor wrapped his arms around the fire ninja’s back. 

“You okay?” Kai whispered softly.

_Was I ever? Look at me. Pathetic. One simple dream and it leaves me like this. Why do you guys even bother anymore?_

“...bad dream.” He grumbled, but the fire ninja could hear that the nindroid was trying his best not to sob. Cryptor shook with suppressed cries, his body lurch with each painful inhale of air that he took in.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Kai replied, shaking his head. 

But the fire ninja could tell that there was something wrong. Cryptor was stiff as a board, his breathing restricted and unable to calm down. His eyes were basically glowing a bright, blinding red, unlike how they’d dim when he usually calmed down.

“You wanna say something?”

Yes. 

“...”

“So?” Kai raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

“...aren’t you going to remove me?” 

A pause. Everything came to a screeching halt. 

“...uhm, what the fuck?” Kai spat out. Confusion filled his mind like water.

“From the team.” 

“Excuse me?”

“I…” Cryptor trailed off for a few seconds. He looked off to the side once again. He let out a small sigh, before he started talking again.

“I mean...I..hid my attackers’ identities. I covered for them. I...wouldn’t that mean that you don’t trust me anymore? I..it would make the most sense. I..if that had happened, then..perhaps you’d assume that I’d go back to...them? Why...why haven’t you said anything?”

“I’ve never even thought of that.” Kai spoke quietly.

_Liar. _

“Lies.” Cryptor growled. For some reason, anger and annoyance ignited themselves in his chest. 

“I didn’t—”

“Fucking hell, Kai.” Cryptor grumbled, his voice growing deeper. He moved away from Kai, and slowly rose to his feet. His red eyes cut through the darkness, and now he towered over the ninja in red, who sat on the bed. 

“Just tell me the truth. Maybe it is best if I didn’t exist. I don’t want to give you any more suspicions.” 

“...huh?” Kai raised an eyebrow. What in the actual hell was happening? Was Zane’s initial scan wrong? Definitely, something wrong was with Cry. His mood jumped around erratically, changing at a moments notice. 

Cryptor growled. 

Kai was so confused at this point. 

“I don’t get it?” Kai asked, his face set in a confused grimace. His mind was racing, trying to comprehend what in the hell the nindroid was talking about. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had just woken up, but his mind couldn’t seem to connect the two dots. 

Slap some sense into him.

“Why don’t you FUCKING HATE ME ALREADY?” Cryptor’s voice was sharp and shrill, sounding much more authoritative than ever before. It almost sounded like back when the Digital Overlord was the biggest threat, and the nindroid had control over his army. His eye flared brighter, causing Kai to shield his face with his arm.

“Why should I?” Kai snapped.

“Because look at me, Kai! How do you know that I’m not gonna waltz right back to them? How do you know I won’t kill you in your sleep! I fucking helped them! I hid their identities! That enough proof for you?!”

Kai blinked for a few moments.

“You’re too..too!!” Cryptor raised his voice higher, feeling as the rise in volume caused his vision to swim and distort. “How can you be like this?! How can you not immediately kick me out upon learning about this? HOW CAN YOU BE SO LENIENT?! HOW CAN—”

Kai shot up to his feet hugged him again. 

“I trust you.” 

Cryptor froze. He didn’t even bother to fight back against Kai’s hold, but he gently leaned into the fire ninja’s grip. He could feel as Kai tightened his hold, a hand running up and down the nindroid’s back.

_I trust you. _

“You shouldn’t.” 

“You’ve changed, dude. You’ve changed so much. So, how about you shut the fuck up? Don’t say something so stupid like that ever again. You’re a part of this te— family. You’re a part of this family now.” Kai spoke quietly, softly. He could feel as the nindroid relaxed in his hold.

_Family?_

“Family.” Kai confirmed, almost like he could read the nindroid’s thoughts. “Let’s forget about your past, okay? That’s not important.”

_Safe._

Cryptor nodded quietly.

“...I’m tired.” The nindroid whispered, allowing himself to relax. He allowed his eyes to slip closed, gently plunging him into the darkness. He could feel Kai’s arms around him, allowing him to feel grounded in reality. 

“Obviously. You look like shit.” Kai grumbled quietly as he sighed. The nindroid could feel as he was guided forward before he grumbled and shook his head in protest.

“Can I go sleep in my bed?” Cryptor sighed quietly. He could feel as they stopped walking, and a pause as Kai considered for a few seconds. He could see as Cryptor’s head drooped down before he snapped awake, and then his eyes closed and it would happen again.

_‘He doesn’t want to be alone.’_ Kai thought to himself.

There was some shuffling and then Kai hummed in agreement with a nod.

“Okay. Doesn’t seem to be a bad idea.” 

It took a while for them to make their way to the shared bedroom the entire crew shared. Kai creaked open the door, and five sets of heads whipped over to look at them. Zane looked a bit confused and opened his mouth to say something, before Cole stopped him.

“How are you?” The earth ninja asked.

“I’m fine.” Cryptor mumbled.

“He’s tired.” Kai answered. Everyone mumbled a bit.

“Kay, let’s go to bed.” Lloyd yawned. He settled back into his cot, before throwing the covers over his head and settling into a more comfortable position. Everyone seemed to follow suit. Kai walked moved away from the nindroid. 

“Wait, I—” Cryptor choked out, fear leaping up into his throat. Kai froze, before he looked over his shoulder at the nindroid.

“Yeah?” 

A pause.

“...nevermind.” Cryptor rubbed at the back of his neck for a few moments before he shook his head. Kai paused for a few moments, a look of doubt passing over his features. 

“Stay right there.” Kai demanded, and Cryptor startled a bit at the sudden order. He froze up, and stayed in place. Kai felt a bit bad for causing the nindroid the brief panic, but he walked forward and gestured for everyone to group up. He walked over to Lloyd and dragged him out of bed.

“Wh...huh?” Lloyd sputtered.

The ninja spoke in the circle for a few moments, and Cryptor stood awkwardly at the door, unsure on what to do.

Then everyone split up. They cleared a part of the room’s floor, and began to shuffle the mattresses of their beds, dumping them onto the ground. Cryptor watched, a bit confused and unsure of what to do.

Finally, they had pieced together a massive island of mattresses in the middle of the floor.

After many failed attempts to convince him to lie down, they had to tackle him, all the while mindful of the gash on his face.

They all lay down, crowding around him. A pillow was placed underneath his head and a weighted blanket was thrown over his torso. He could feel as a set (or two) were thrown over his torso, and he snuggled against their warmth.

“...can someone shut off the lights?”

“Oh. Right.” There were the sounds of someone getting up, and feet against the ground. A click later, and they were plunged into the darkness. Cryptor sighed softly, his eyelid already heavy as it slid closed. That person shuffled back into bed, and then it was quiet again.

He could feel his throat and chest began to rumble as he allowed himself to relax fully. He slowly sank into the warmth, feeling as the blissful silence stretched out from around him, with arms hugged around him, listening to the sounds of people breathing. The blankets shielded him a cocoon of warmth, and he shifted them a bit over his head.

He passed out.

“Holy fuck he’s purring.” Someone whispered behind him.

“Mmmmmmhhhhmm.” Someone else mumbled sleepily.

“Hah. Cryptor purring. A big softie. I—”

“Shut up, Jay. You’re too loud.” Kai snapped. Jay instantly stopped talking, but everyone could hear as he let out an annoyed huff. 

A pause.

Cryptor shifted a bit closer into the chest of who was in front of him, and they tightened their hold. The noise increased in volume, and he leaned into their warmth. He let out a content sigh, and everyone shifted so that they could fill the gap in the crowd that Cryptor created when he moved forward. A hand reached to scratch at the back of his head, and the purring increased, a small smile pulling at the nindroid’s lips.

Another pause.

“Kai.” Cole whispered quietly.

“Yeah?” 

“So, what happened to that murder plot you were considering?” 

Silence.

Kai sighed, before he shook his head.

“Forget it.” Kai whispered quietly, listening to the sound of the nindroid purring loudly, watching as Cryptor’s side rose and fell with even breaths. 

“That’s not what’s important.”


End file.
